Andrews, a visual arts teacher at the school, was taken aback when her husband described the robot as a police robot. Initially, she thought it was simply taking photos of the graduates, but she soon learned that it was actually providing 360-degree camera footage to the school security team. Andrews expressed her concerns about what the robot was filming and what kind of camera it had. The New Mexico school district started a pilot program in mid-June with this robot, which patrols the campus grounds 24/7. In response to the increasing concerns about gun violence and mass shootings in schools, several companies are offering similar robots to schools across the country. These robots are primarily used for campus surveillance, but they have the potential to do much more, such as confronting attackers and unauthorized individuals on campus.
The robot in Santa Fe uses artificial intelligence to learn the school’s normal patterns of activity and detect individuals who are on campus after hours or displaying aggressive behavior, according to Andy Sanchez, the sales manager for Team 1st Technologies, the robot’s distributor in North America. If there is an active shooter or another threat, the robot can alert the security team and provide them with video footage to inform their course of action. Although the robot is not armed, it can confront intruders, and human security team members can communicate with the intruder through the robot’s communication system. During the pilot, the school has chosen to disable the robot’s weapons detection features, but they are considering adding it in the future, as stated by Mario Salbidrez, executive director of safety and security at Santa Fe Public Schools. The district security team and the high school review the video footage when the robot detects unusual activity. The robot does not have facial recognition capabilities, and the video footage is owned by Santa Fe High School, giving them control over whether or not to save it.
So far, the robot has not detected any intruders on campus, but it has alerted the security team to new workers at the school’s construction site and individuals trying to enter locked doors. It has also captured faculty members and students on camera in innocuous interactions. Some students, like Callie Trader, a rising senior at Santa Fe High School, are unfazed by the additional surveillance, believing it will be more amusing and different than existing security cameras. Reed Meschefske, a teacher at the school, feels safe at school already but sees the benefits of the robot in covering blind spots on campus that currently go unnoticed.
Other school districts are also considering the use of robots for security purposes. Robert Stokes, co-owner and president of Stokes Robotics, states that his company is working with multiple districts across the country. While most schools plan to use robots in the classroom for teaching coding, in the event of an armed intruder, the robot can take more aggressive action, such as pointing a laser beam at the suspect’s chest or using flashing lights to disarm them. Humans would make real-time decisions on the robot’s course of action but would remain out of harm’s way in an active shooter situation.
However, Kenneth Trump, president of the consulting firm National School Safety and Security Services, cautions that while new technology may create the appearance of safer campuses, schools should prioritize teaching students how to report suspicious incidents to a trusted adult. According to Trump, it is essential to focus on impactful solutions rather than implementing technology for the sake of it.
Team 1st Technologies is currently piloting the robot at Santa Fe High School free of charge for the summer. The estimated cost for the 2023-24 school year is between $60,000 and $70,000, and the school is still evaluating whether the robot is a worthwhile investment. Salbidrez acknowledges that there is not enough compelling information currently to make a definitive decision.
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Deepak Sen is a tech enthusiast who covers the latest technological innovations, from AI to consumer gadgets. His articles provide readers with a glimpse into the ever-evolving world of technology.
